Have been building using the NGC system for 2-4 lbs test. Mostly 2lbs test.

Quick question about the microwave guide since I've not actually built one.

With NGC, the butt guide is about 19-22 inches from front of spinning spool face. And the choke point is 27X of the spool outer diameter.

Now that Microwaves have been out for a while and has seen significant adoption, hope you do not mind a few quick questions:


1. With Microwave, what is the general butt guide distance from the front edge of the spin reel spool?
2. And choke point distance from the front edge of the spool?
3. And do you vary 1 and 2 depending on spool diameter or line test?

Thanks,
Mo

Spend time and read the Microwave page on the Amtak site, they answer all these questions in detail

Hello,

I have done Microwave guides on a pair of 8'6" ultralight rods to be used with 750-1500 sized reels. My guide setup was a slightly modified version of the factory 7'6" recommendations to include the extra runners. In short, I'm happy with these guides. They provide good weight distribution and line management.

Regarding your question about guide placement, Amtak has done the research and you can look up their suggested butt and transition guide placements on their website as mentioned. Use these measurements or the ones that come with the Microwave guide set. Do not use the measurements found in the magazine advertisements as there were some errors in a few listings.

Regarding spool diameters, I have found the factory guide placements to be adequate with the reels used above. If using very small sized reels (500 or smaller) you could start at the factory settings and test cast, gradually moving the stripper and transition guides closer towards the reel till you find that sweet spot (or not). In my case it was more work static testing the running guides than locating the butt/stripper guides. Hope this helps.

-chad



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/27/2013 09:20PM by Chad Barlongo.

Billy,

Thanks. Yup read that. BUT that is a one size fits all approach - at least when I read it, and one of the intentional selling point by Darrin. I was hoping to hear from practitioners in the field who may be maxing the system for light lines.

Thanks Chad for adding another data point. So for your small reels, did you find that moving them close gave a better performance? And if so, about how much closer did you move them?

Mo

Hello,

With my setup I moved both butt and transition guides closer to the reel by about 1/2 inch or so. Not for casting reasons, but because I preferred to have both butt and transition guide on the lower section of my two-piece rods (8'6" fly blanks set up for spinning). It feels a little more balanced, at least to me, and seems to cast just as good as the factory placement.

Not sure how well Microwaves, especially the Duralite models, would work with 2lb. test line? The 20/6 butt guide alone is a lot heavier than the first few guides of a rod setup NGC style with a size 16 butt guide (if that is what you've been using). Just something to think about weight-wise.

-chad



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/28/2013 03:35AM by Chad Barlongo.

Since you haven't tried them before, why not use to recommended spacing as a baseline and experiment. Why not tape them up, test, move them, test again? Spend some time testing and you will find what works best for your setup. If the recommended spacing doesn't work for you, I bet you can dial it in perfectly for your blank/reel/and line by test casting.

For $33 or $43 or $58 bucks Rob, that's too simple of a solution!